“The day has begun with terrible news. The prominent Ukrainian journalist Pavel Sheremet was killed this morning.”

The editor of Ukrainska Pravda, Sevgil Musaieva-Borovyk, said Sheremet was killed for his professional activity.

“Why do they kill journalists in Ukraine? Someone wants to destabilise the situation in the country by doing this.”

Ukrayinska Pravda (Ukrainian Truth) is a popular Ukrainian Internet newspaper, founded in April, 2000. Published mainly in Ukrainian with selected articles published in or translated to Russian and English, the newspaper is tailored towards a general readership with some particular emphasis placed on the hot issues of the politics of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian government has at times reportedly exerted pressure on the publication to restrict access to freedom of information.

Staff and contributors of the Ukrayinska Pravda have pioneered many legal and research techniques aimed at advancing freedom of information in Ukraine, particularly those concerning the public spending, public procurement and offshore tax evasion. Staff journalists routinely participate in non-partisan public actions promoting democracy and press freedom in the country.

Mustafa Nayyem, a member of parliament and former journalist at Ukrayinska Pravda, told Radio Free Europe:

“It’s terrible. We’re all very sad today.”

Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, wrote on Twitter that Sheremet was “one of the best”, adding:

“Pavel was such a decent man. So sad.”

According to the Guardian, Sheremet has was often critical of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.